biologyTopic 2 · OrganisationPaper 1Grades 8–9
Why did one runner collapse after the same meal and race?
Starting scenario
Two runners eat identical starchy meals. Runner A has normal villi, reaches a blood glucose peak of 7.8 mmol dm⁻³ and completes the race. Runner B has damaged villi, reaches 5.9 mmol dm⁻³, becomes breathless and develops chest pain. Their lung volumes are similar.
You will work through 8 staged questions that build up the science you need. Then you will answer one big-picture question from memory, with no checklist to help you — and only afterwards will the full connection map be revealed.